Monday marked the first night of the convention and while there really were some spectacular moments, I spent most of the night hunting down reporters to make sure they didn’t abuse their floor privileges. There were two things I neglected my job for – button collecting and really spectacular moments.
I was at the Pepsi Center from the moment Howard Dean, the chair of DNC, hit the gavel and declared the the beginning of the convention. I was there but I would have to say that less than 20% of the delegates were in the building at that point. The ones that were there were wandering the halls, feeling no need yet to be wedded to their seats
There were a few hours of speeches that no network seemed to cover (I heard CNN didn’t even cover Nancy Pelosi, the chair of the convention). Inside Pepsi, reporters were lacks about where they were going, what they were covering, who they were interviewing. In the media pavilions outside the arena, there was even a lounge provided by the DNC that included personalized button making, comfy leather couches and chairs, hand massages, Coors beer, food, and of course a Wii.
As the night rolled on and the speakers became more recognizable and/or interesting, more people filled the seats and it quickly started looking like a convention. But the focus of the convention was supposed to be “Unity.” A video at the beginning highlighting the party started off with the caption “One Nation.” But the night was dedicated, as probably most nights will be, to telling the story of Barack Obama. One of the best speeches of the night came from Jesse Jackson Jr. who really was the one person to highlight the historical importance of Barack Obama’s nomination. The rest of the night was telling his story through the eyes of others who know him well. His sister, his brother-in-law his wife.
The one possible exception was the Kennedy tribute. By the time Caroline Kennedy took the stage the arena was packed, reporters were back to doing their jobs, and everyone waited in emotional anticipation for the triumphant return of Sen. Ted Kennedy. There was an emotional tribute video done by acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns that brought me to tears. Caroline Kennedy, in introducing her uncle, talked about how Barack Obama is her JFK – the inspiration her father gave to others, she gets from Barack Obama. She has said that before, but this time, with the last of Joe Kennedy’s sons about to walk on the stage perhaps for the last time at a convention, it felt sadder to hear.
Ted Kennedy took the stage and the crowd went wild. No one was for sure certain he was going to make it to the convention at all, so him just walking on to the stage brought tears to many delegates eyes.
When he said “Nothing was going to keep me from this special gathering” there was so many loud boisterous cheers and applause but some people had tears running down their faces. “I pledge to you that I will be there next January on the floor of the United States Senate when we begin…” the sentence wasn’t finished but the cheers started and everyone was on their feet applauding. There was nothing like that. Once again though, in this moment that could have been all about him, Kennedy made it clear he was there for Barack Obama. He was there to give Obama’s message of “Hope” a visible incarnation. He called this a “season of hope” in his life, as he hopes to be there in January for Barack Obama by fighting his cancer and supporting his campaign.
Kennedy brought the audience to their feet when he linked the message of hope to health care, a top priority for Kennedy who came back to the Senate earlier this summer to vote on a Medicaid bill. He went into how electing Barack Obama is about bringing change and “renewal” to the country.
Both Kennedys that spoke said the same thing. They made it clear that the torch is being passed in the democratic party (Ted literally said the “the torch is being passed to a new generation of Americans”). The party that for so long has looked at the Kennedy legacy, both in the white house and in congress, is coming to an end. Patrick Kennedy, while still around, is not carrying the torch like his uncles and father. Rumors of Caroline Kennedy getting involved in elected politics, are starting to swarm but haven’t come to fruition.
At the end of Sen. Kennedy’s speech he said that “The work begins anew, the hope rises again, and the dream lives on.” The crowd went wild, he exited the stage, and it was clear a new chapter is beginning.
1 Comment
August 26, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Julia,
Your writings are so much fun to read. As Obama himself is exciting, it is also exciting to read what a 22 year old woman is experiencing, and the perspective is so much fresher than from the older pols and media people.
Thank you.
Marcia